On the Glossy Cover
by velvetvalentine
Summary: Naruto is a young journalist for a celebrity magazine. To everyones surprise the heir of Konohas biggest corporation is suddenly getting married. Obviously there should be plenty for Naruto to write about, right?
1. On the Glossy Cover

Disclaimer: The original work 'Naruto' and all it's characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

**On the glossy cover**

"Seriously man, that rich guy's eyes have been on you this whole evening."

"Huh?"

The young journalist looked up at his partner, blowing the bright, blond hair out of his eyes and the pen he'd recently been chewing on fell from his mouth and hit the floor. Not that anyone heard. The room was buzzing with hundreds of voices, laughter, gasps and security workers' walkie-talkies.

"I said: That rich guy's eyes have been on you this whole evening. Maybe he's wishing that you were the one standing up there instead of Barbie..?" Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow and smirked while picking up his camera and removing the lens shelter.

"Bullshit. May I remind you that we are here to cover the story of "that rich guy's" official engagement announcement?"

Shikamaru snickered just barely audibly and took a test-shot of his partner. The blitz almost blinded the young man and he mumbled something about '…hate it when you do that..'

"Stunning," Shikamaru took a look at the test-shot, and held the camera up again for a new one. "Hearing you say that actually makes me think that you care about work.."

He managed to get another test shot before the now slightly irritated blond grabbed a hold of his blinding-weapon.

"That should be my line, you slacker. Well, I may not always be the most enthusiastic about these kinds of stories, but if I manage to write a good story on this one I might get a long awaited promotion. So you just shut your trap and shoot a few kick-assed photos! And, geez, that blitz is way too sharp. Man, really.."

"Troublesome.."

"Not half as troublesome as it will be unless you get your lazy ass over there and take some pictures. Now GO! I wanna see your fingers radiate with smoke when you're done!"

"Geez, calm down, man.."

The room was practically boiling over with people; quests, family, journalists, newspapers, magazines, radio, tv. There was no doubt this would be one of the major headlines of the year. Uchiha Sasuke, as of today inheritor of the famous and successful Uchiha Trade Corporation. UTC was known worldwide for their strict and successful business ways; Always in the paper, always being sucked up to by the press and the politicians. Everybody wanted an Uchiha on their side, because that would be their one-way ticket to fame, glory and success.

And now the younger of the two Uchiha-brothers had gone forth and snatched the successor seat of UTC from his older brother by officially announcing his engagement.

His beloved one was no-one not already known to the public, but the one who more or less ruled the celebrity parties and events in Konoha. The blond party-girl didn't do a thing for a living, except living off of her father's billion dollar interior business "Yamanaka Flowers".

Yamanaka Ino was not what you would call a respected businesswoman. Even though both her father and herself claimed she had been doing lots of great work within the Yamanaka business, the countless of scandalous videos, quotes, photos and interviews had for a long time already cast a big, dark shadow over her future career and reputation. This was one of the main reasons there was some extra big fuzz around the announcement.

Why would a well-respected young man as Uchiha Sasuke choose an empty-headed party doll as his future wife? What could be the big attraction between the two, when the youngest Uchiha literally had all the best women in the whole country to choose from?

Giggling with a glass of bubbly champagne in one hand and the other hand hooked onto Uchiha Sasukes arm, she looked like Barbie who just found her Ken. Which would actually be the exact imitation of the two who now stood before hundreds of people, smiling and showing of their engagement-rings.

The young journalist sighed as he clicked his pen and started scribbling down a few impressions of the scenario. He was both nervous and excited about the press conference the youngest Uchiha would hold in a few minutes time.

He would hopefully get one question in, if he was lucky, maybe two. Three would be fantastic, but he didn't want to get his hopes up. He'd settle for one. So it had to be a good one.

As the professional he was, he thought, he had of course prepared. He'd wanted it to be a question that craved a proper answer. It'd be something that would make the crowd wonder if one were allowed to even ask that.

This was his boat, so he had to know how to steer it. After all, he was the number one most spontaneous, rude and creative journalist in all of Konoha.

Somewhere up in front of the plateu he was sure he saw the pineapple hair, alias Shikamaru his best friend and partner, and a furiously blaring blitz.

"E-excuse me.. Hello?" The sound of somebody tapping a microphone and a nervous voice was heard over the speakers.

"Hello? Is this on?" Again the voice was heard but this time followed by anxious laughter.

All the attention turned to a fragile-looking young girl with dark blue hair, who, by the look of it, didn't like the position she now was in. Her hand was visibly shaking and it seemed like she prepared to give it one last try.

"W-well. Seems like this is on, so.. Good evening everyone. On behalf of Mr. Uchiha Sasuke I will like to thank everyone for showing up and would also like to announce that the press conference will start in two minutes time. If all journalists and photographers would be so kind and gather in the lounge it would be very much appreciated. And.. Thank you, that is a-all.. Yes, that is all. And oh! Congratulations, Mr and Mrs. Uchiha!"

The whole assembly applauded and said congratulations. Soon after the announcement, the crowd of people started to move away from the scene.

Within the next five minutes Naruto and Shikamaru found themselves cramped up in a horde of journalists waiting to get picked to ask their billions of questions.

Uchiha Sasuke was always a difficult man to interview, though, as he more often than not gave answers that didn't let people in on much. On the one hand he was a man always in the centre of things, but on the other he seemed to be a very private person, not too keen on sharing information about himself.

Not weird, though, Naruto thought to himself.

Considering the position the youngest Uchiha was in, now being the heir of the country's leading trading corporation, a scandal or a leak of sensitive information about his private life could ruin his career.

Uchihas timid secretary from earlier announced the floor was open to questions for 15 minutes. The roof practically lifted as the journalists started yelling "Mr. Uchiha! Mr. Uchiha!" and Naruto was no worse than the rest.

"Yes, the man in the blue shirt?"

Damnit, Naruto cursed, coughed and got ready to yell even louder after the first question had been answered.

"Mr. Uchiha, first congratulations on your engagement. For my question, I'm sure everyone wonders how this announcement on getting married will affect your future work situation as well as the relationship between you and your older brother Mr. Uchiha Itachi?"

All journalists sat at the edge of their seats ready to jot down the answer, and Naruto had to give the guy credit for asking such a 'right on' first question.

The youngest Uchiha didn't let any emotion color his face as he stated his answer.

"As for my future work situation, besides taking over the position of head chairman, I will continue at the same pace as usual and as for the relationship between my brother and me everything is the same as before. He respects and understands my choice, and he will continue as vice president at UTC in the future."

Other journalists tried to get in but the man in the blue shirt got to ask a second question, much to Narutos dislike.

"So he holds no grudge against his younger brother for snatching away his chance to become UTC's new CEO?"

"Not at all. We have always worked together on a professional level, and we never let personal issues influence our work-relationship. My brother is a fair man and as I said, respects my choice."

"Then, the next question please, the woman with the red hair?"

"Mr. Uchiha, up until this moment there hasn't been anything indicating the relationship between Ms. Yamanaka and yourself. For how long have you been going out? That is what the public really would like to know!"

"Ms. Yamanaka and I have been seeing each other for quite a long time, and known each other for an even longer time as both our fathers have been friends since childhood."

"Next, please."

A man with huge glasses got to ask.

"Then why did you decide to marry now, considering the fact that being 25 years old is quite an early age for marriage these days?"

"Marrying at an early age does not trouble us the least, and we decided now would be a good time as I will have some time off this summer to prepare for my new position this coming fall."

Ten minutes had already passed and Naruto was getting anxious; not even half the crowd of journalists would get to ask their question.

Naruto shot up from his seat the second Uchiha closed his mouth.

"Yes, the man in orange?"

Finally. He took a quick breath before posing his question.

"Uchiha," he started, and received astounded glances when he left out saying 'Mr'.

"Yamanaka Ino has had quite many adventures in the past, hasn't she? What makes you so sure she will settle down now? If there's anyone who has the ability to ruin your life and career as a professional, it's her, am I not right?"

There were gasps and Shikamaru nudged him and mouthed 'nice!'.

Uchiha Sasuke said nothing while looking straight at Naruto, and after a while he 'tsk'ed and gave a slight smile for the first time after the press conference started.

"Uzumaki Naruto, isn't it? Well, Uzumaki, there are numerous things that could ruin my career, but they won't because I wouldn't let them. Ms. Yamanaka is very well acquainted with the position she now is in and she has said to me she feels ready to leave her past and start a new life as the coming Mrs. Uchiha. I think nothing of what she might have or haven't done in the past, but when she tells me she want to settle down then I believe her. But I guess this is a hard blow on the journalist world as you won't have any more things to blow out of proportion and plaster across your tasteless tabloid papers, no?"

Naruto was both pleased and surprised Uchiha had given him such a long and quite personal answer, but there was no time for reflecting now when he maybe had a chance to get his second question in. He was already glowing and had his hand in the air already for a second shot.

"Next, please. The man at the-"

"It seems the refined Mr. Uzumaki has something more to ask.", Uchiha Sasuke interrupted his secretary.

"Oh, of course, Mr. Uzumaki then."

"Thanks. You know, Uchiha, considering the, in any case mystically short, uproar of last winter you found yourself in the middle of, I somehow find it funny to see how short a time it took until you suddenly decided to get married."

There was no little smile on the face of the youngest Uchiha now. He sat back up and put his palms down graciously on the table before him, and spoke without emotion.

"I'm sorry, Uzumaki, but I didn't quite hear a question in there?"

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but I must admit I do get a little suspicious that this wedding is _not_ based on the love for Yamanaka, but maybe it's a neatly planned and career-wise cover-up?"

"And would you like to tell me what it is that I'm supposed to cover up, then?"

"That you're bisexual and that you've had a secret love affair with the award winning author Hatake Kakashi."

The room started to buzz with whispers.

"Well," Uchiha started and took a sip of the glass of water given him by his secretary.

Actually it was more a huge gulp than a sip, and Naruto wrote 'water – drinks half the glass" down on his notepad.

"It is true that I am an acquaintance of Mr. Hatake. I'm a big fan of his works and I buy all his publishing's. As I've already said earlier this spring Mr. Hatake and I spent a lot of time together last winter because of his new book that will come out this fall. I don't know if it is allowed for me to let you in on its details, but the reason we spent a lot of time together was because we were discussing the base of the main character for his new fiction book. A character loosely based on me."

All journalists seemed thrilled to get not only the scoop of the wedding announcement, but also some gossip about the new book of Hatake Kakashi, an author who always kept the details around his upcoming books a secret.

"That's all there is to it. So my apology goes out to all hopeful men and women: I will be a married man on August 12th because I've found the love of my life. I'm not bisexual nor have I had a so-called "secret love affair" with Mr. Hatake. But I do encourage all of you to buy his new book as I am sure it will be a very interesting read. Thank you."

A single nod to his secretary indicated that the press conference was over. The entire crowd was already making calls and hurrying back to their respective magazines and papers before his secretary could even announce the end and give her thanks to all that had met up.

"Oi, here's around 100. I think there are maybe at least two good ones."

Shikamaru threw his camera to Naruto, who barely managed to catch it.

He saw through a few of them, sighed and handed it back to his partner.

"Ugh… "

"What?"

"Nothing. Barbie makes me want to barf, though."

Shikamaru laughed and nodded in agreement, sipping his whiskey.

They usually went to an izakaya close to their office after long days as this one. The deadline for their story was two days later, so they had at least a few hours to spare. The magazine would be out in every kiosk and mailbox of gossip-deprived housewives within Saturday.

Naruto was practically sprawled out over their table, watching the bubbles in his beer float up to join the foam.

"Sheesh… He's so full of himself. "Numerous things could ruin my career but they won't because I wouldn't let them." "I'm sure it will be an interesting read" "A character loosely based on me." Hehmehmehmehmehmeeh! Tsk…", Naruto imitated the Uchihas calm, arrogant voice.

"Naruto.. Cheer up, dude. Your questions today resulted in Uchiha talking more than he normally does in interviews through a whole year. And I have to give it to ya, Uzumaki, today you were really kicking it in there. If the old hag's not pleased with you now there's no future for our mag. My shot of Uchiha on the cover and your vivid writing, I'm tellin' ya, sales will rocket sky high on Friday."

"You think?"

"Of course. "I'm sure it will be a very, very, very interesting read." Shikamaru said and winked.

They laughed loudly and bumped their knuckles together, downed their drinks and ordered seconds.

His cell phone vibrated in his jacket and upon seeing the caller, he smirked.

"Good evening, Hatake."

"Why good evening, Uchiha. Cuddling up on the couch with your bride-to-be?"

"Of course not."

"Wonderful. Now, a little bird just whispered to me you've gone and told all of Konoha about my secret, little main character. That's not very nice, you know?"

"Not very nice, indeed. I am truly sorry."

"Hmm? I sure know you can lie oh so brilliantly to the press, but I'm a different matter, Uchiha. You know that, love, don't you?"

"I do. Then you also know I'm not truly sorry."

"I do."

"It will be good publicity for you, Hatake. You should thank me, doing you a favor like that. I'm the one being accused of being bisexual, you know."

"But you're not bisexual, Uchiha. Everyone knows that. Well, at least I know that."

Sasuke could hear a low snicker at the other end of the line.

"I guess I should thank you. Though I, for a slight moment, considered not to give you my first copy."

"That would be to push the line a little, don't you think?"

"It definitely would. Therefore you will have it fresh from the press early next week. I've already booked a table at the place you recommended last time. We're having dinner together on Monday so put something nice on, darling."

"Have you ever seen me without something nice on?"

"I haven't. But I sure would like to see you with nothing on at all."

"Shut up, you old sleaze. Monday at nine, I presume?"

"See you there, love."

The line went dead and Sasuke loosened his tie as he flipped the phone shut.

Monday just couldn't come soon enough. But, of course, that was only because of the book.

Only because of the book.

* * *

_Izakaya_: An izakaya is a Japanese type of bar, mainly for drinking, but also serves some dishes. Usually inexpensive and a nice place to hang out after school/work.

CEO: Chief Executive Officer, the head of a business. The guy at the top with his bank account full of money.

This is my second story up on FF, so I'd be really happy to hear your thoughts!

Also, this chapter is unbeta'd, and I'm searching for someone who's up for the job. If anyone's interested in being my beta, please contact me through a personal message.

Preferred qualifications:

-Beta'd at least ten other stories that can be referred to here on FF

-English as your first language (as mine is not, obviously!)

-Can do humor/romance, and mature content

-Love the series of Naruto! :D


	2. A Glance

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. This is purely fanfiction for the sake of fun, all rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

A/N: I'm truly sorry for the long wait for the second chapter. since last time I've moved from Norway to Japan, and started university.  
I have tons of stuff to do, but I will try my best to continue writing on this one as well!  
I'm very happy to hear your thoughts, and thanks for those of you who left me some really sweet reviews on the first chapter! I really appreciate it.

I still don't have a beta for this story; If anyone's up for the task, please PM me.

* * *

**Chapter 2: A glance.**

The clock had just turned five thirty a.m and Naruto wondered just why exactly he found himself hurrying off to his office at such an ungodly hour. Of course, in his line of work you were never privileged with healthy work-hours, but five thirty on a Monday morning was just down right cruel.

Naruto almost stumbled over Shikamaru, who was drinking water at the water machine, and only managed to mutter something that could have been 'good morning'. Though, it might as well have been 'grrhhammeehh'.

"Have some?"

Shikamaru handed his partner a newly filled plastic cup of cold water.

"Need coffee. Still sleeping. Water no good." Naruto mumbled, obviously preparing to nap on the plastic olive tree by the water cooler.

"Sakura just made some, I think." Shikamaru said and nodded in the direction towards Sakuras office.

"My…sweet, little cherry blossom girl…Sakura…"

"Yep. You're still sleeping." Shikamaru sighed and went to his own office. Silently he muttered "I hope they're not wet dreams, though…" but Naruto was too far gone to even notice.

Three cups of coffee later he was ready to face the world once again.

"Sakura, your coffee can kick a dead horse back to life."

"You're awake."

Haruno Sakura smiled and took a sip of her own mug that said "Fight!" in bold, black letters.

"So, tell me. Did the old hag say anything about the article?"

"Actually, she hasn't let up on much, so I don't know what to make of that."

"Is that a bad sign?"

"It could be, considering she can be like a ticking bomb; can go off anytime."

"You can be a bit like that yourself, actually.", Naruto mumbled into his mug.

"What was that?"

Naruto could swear he saw an artery throb on Sakuras forehead.

"N-nothing. You were saying?"

"Well, it could be a bad sign, but on the other hand it can also mean she has some big news. It's obvious we've had great sales this week."

"Ok. Well, thanks Sakura.", Naruto said with a grin and got his notepad up from his pocket.

"I guess it's about time for-"

The public announcement system squeaked above their heads.

'Crrrk' "Attention, all journalists, photographers and assistants. Morning meeting now. RAUS!"

"Yep."

In Narutos first week at this job he couldn't understand why the office scenery suddenly turned into a raging war zone right after the boss had been on the speakers. Now, three years later, dropping whatever you had in your hands and run like you had the devil on your heels was everyday routine. One time he'd seen Shikamaru jolt awake and jump over office desks like he was trying to win some kind of bizarre hurdling competition. Naruto would bet his right arm that his colleagues and he could have been the future stars of the Konoha Olympics, considering the great amount of exercise they all got at this very office.

Within ten seconds the door of the meeting room was closed and the only sound audible was people trying to catch their breaths.

The CEO of "Lemon or Lime" celebrity magazine sat with her hands folded, elbows on the table, furrowing brows. This was usually the sight everyone was greeted with at every morning meeting. Her mighty bust rested heavily on the end of a square glass table, and she waited impatiently for everyone to settle down.

"Geez, quiet down, will ya? It's Monday morning and I have a headache."

Something told Naruto this was going to be one of those short meetings that would end in Tsunade giving grim orders, or rather threats, and everyone would promise something they would struggle to keep.

"Peeps, listen up. Last week's sales were very promising. In fact, not just promising, but fantastic."

Naruto let a satisfied sigh escape his lips as he saw Shikamaru wink at him.

"This tells us a great deal. It's obvious that the circus that eventually will be the wedding of Uchiha and Yamanaka gets the coins rolling in, as well, ladies and gentlemen, as well as it will strengthen our stance as an up and coming celeb mag. We're in hard competition here people, but the tremendous sales of last week have finally gotten us a foot inside the door with the big guys."

Tsunade sat back in her chair and crossed her legs, elegantly pausing and everyone held their breaths.

"This is serious business, folks. If we can manage to keep up the sales now we will finally get the chance to mingle with the big, established magazines. This is essential for all our futures sakes. From the day I started this tiny business four years ago I've been struggling long and hard to get us where we're most hopefully heading now, considering last week's sales. You all did a great job, but especially Uzumaki, I'm very pleased with you. You were on fire at the press conference, the article was juicy and smart, and I think you've now showed us all here what caliber you're really made of."

Naruto felt almost overwhelmed by his boss' sudden praise, and he could hear himself start to stutter.

"R-really? Thank you so much! But actually it wasn't all me, Shikamaru did a great job too and-"

"Shut up. This ain't the Konoha Oscars, nobody asked you to give a speech to the academy."

"N-no, Ma'am! I was only-"

"Anyway, people. What does this tell us?"

Kiba offered a hand.

"Yes, Inuzuka?"

"That we should start digging up more stuff on other celebs getting married?"

"No."

"Dig up some old, dirty stuff about Yamanaka?"

"No."

"You sure, boss? Could be a bomb to smear a stinky, old scandal up in her face a week before the wedding, ya know?"

"Unless it's a real, fucking good one, yes. But still, no."

"We can do specials on who Yamanaka is going to use to design her wedding dress?", Neji, their beauty expert, offered.

"No! By the power of Gin and Whiskey, this is not doing miracles for my headache..! "

While everyone looked at each other questioningly, Shikamaru snickered and lit a cigarette. Despite being a lazy guy he had brains they most probably would have wanted to have in international war diplomacy; He'd figured out where Tsunade was going, but instead of offering his thoughts he sat back and enjoyed the show. Naruto could never really understand how Shikamaru had ended up in this line of work.

Tsunade sighed and slowly massaged her temples.

"Sakura, get me some coffee, please."

Sakura already had Tsunades mug at hand, and though no-one saw, they all knew there was more whiskey than coffee in that cup.

Tsunade took a sip and grimaced.

"Gee, that's strong. Sakura, your coffee can kick a dead horse back to life, you know that? Anyway, what I mean is, our number one priority from now on will be the youngest Uchiha. All of your suggestions", she said eyeing Hyuuga and Inuzuka respectively, "will probably be what other mags will focus the most on. Our eyes will all be on Uchiha. Everyone knows he rarely does private interviews, but we're getting one. Or rather, Uzumaki, you're getting me one!"

"What? Are you nuts?"

Naruto could see Sakura standing behind Tsunade, desperately mimicking her hand cutting over her throat to get him to shut up.

"No, really, that's asking too much of a poor guy! To be able to get two questions in at the conference was almost unheard of in itself, but a private interview? Seriously ma'am, what have you been smoking?"

Sakura pinched her eyes shut and covered her ears just in time before Tsunades manicured hand slammed down hard on the glass table. To every ones relief it didn't break. (It happened occasionally, and repairs were usually taken from their salaries.)

"Uchiha had obviously heard of you before because he addressed you by name at the press conference. Somehow you managed to get him to open up for just a split second right there in front of everyone and he withdrew soon after, probably smelling that you would've caused a riot if he'd let you continue like that in front of everyone. Uzumaki, if there's one person in this room who can get me that private interview, it will be you! I don't care what kind of methods you use, and I'll provide you with whatever you need, just get me that interview within two weeks and we will all have a golden ticket to a brighter future."

Naruto didn't need to look around the room to understand that all eyes were on him. The brighter future Tsunade was talking about wasn't just that in terms of prestige and reputation, but it would also mean a higher income for all of them. Naruto, being 24 and still sharing a flat with two of his colleagues, knew how badly everyone needed that extra money. For Shikamaru and Kiba good cameras and lenses were essential, and that whiskey Sakura bought for Tsunade every week wasn't cheap. In consideration of what it looked like, Neji's hair products probably weren't the ones you got at a "100 ryou" shop either and Sai needed new materials for his designs on a weekly basis. They were still a small business trying to break it big; they were a team and they often had to sacrifice from their own pockets to keep the ship from sinking. If this interview and a continuously growing audience was what they needed to help Naruto and his colleagues out of their weekday misery, he had to at least give it a try.

"I'll… do my best.", he muttered silently as he saw the faces around him immediately light up .

"Splendid!", Tsunade exclaimed, clapping her hands eagerly.

"Right, then the rest of you, listen up: Shizune and Sakura has left an envelope on your desks, read it carefully and keep me updated. Ok, you're dismissed. I'm counting on you all!"

Everyone got up to get to work, but Naruto was the only one who stayed at his seat.

"Hey, kid. Why the long face?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just… I'm not sure I will be able to do this. I mean, I will try my best, I really will, but still, not to be rude or anything, but you're kind of asking the impossible here, ma'am."

"Naruto..", Tsunade started, her voice suddenly mild and caring.

"When you say you're going to do your best, I know you will. If you're unable to get that interview, then ok, we'll have to think of something else. But I think you can do it. I have faith in you, Uzumaki Naruto." She winked and got up.

Naruto wasn't familiar with praise from people he normally called authority, and he felt a warm feeling spread in his chest. A couple of encouraging words was usually all he needed to keep on going, and his boss' words actually meant a whole lot to him. When he'd moved out four years earlier he'd promised his parents he would make them proud. He didn't know that those words at that time would be the last words he spoke to his parents, but because it was, he felt that he absolutely couldn't disappoint them. He would give this his all. He felt, if not completely, slightly confident.

"Right!" he jumped out of his chair.

"Ah, ma'am. I was just wondering… well, I was thinking, since you said I did such a great job on the press conference and the article and all.. I was wondering if we could maybe discuss..er… my salary? Like, you know, if I could get a higher salary soon or something?"

Tsunade turned in the doorway, and unpleasant twitch to her left eye, and Naruto immediately knew he shouldn't have asked.

"You tryin' to be funny, kid? Take a look at these. You think boobs like this are cheap?"

"I-"

"When you get that pretty, little Uchiha-mouth open and telling, then we can discuss your salary. Dismissed, Uzumaki."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"But, I'll tell you something to get you started: One of my sources has told me that the Uchiha will have dinner with a certain Hatake Kakashi at 'The Rinnegan Room' tonight at nine. Talk to Sakura to get you on the guest list. And wear a tux. Not an orange one, preferably."

"Hinata, tell my driver to be ready in fifteen minutes."

"I'll arrange with him right away, sir."

His secretary left Sasuke's room and closed the door behind her.

Uchiha Sasuke stood in front of his mirror trying out ties. The Uchiha compound was quiet. Sasuke had his own part of the compound to himself, and he liked to have a quiet atmosphere around him, except for the occasional classical CD he'd have on the stereo. Tonight there was no music. He settled for a deep magenta colored tie and poured himself a glass of wine.

There was a single, firm knock at the door.

"Come in."

A pair of Konohas most chic leather shoes walked over his threshold and onto the deep brown varnished parquet.

"I need a word, little brother."

"I'm afraid you can't, Itachi. I'm just about to leave."

"Oh? Somehow you always seem to run off somewhere whenever I need to speak with you, but that's just coincidence I presume?"

"I have an appointment at nine, you call that running off? Should I apologize for the fact that there are people wanting to meet me?"

"Fine, it can wait. But, could you please tell your fiancée to stop coming over to my part of the house whenever I have my friends over? I'm trying to be nice, Sasuke, but that bitch-"

"It's not my fault that your friends have taken a liking to Ino, big brother. And anyway, I'm not in any position to decide what she does or not."

"We both know that's a lie. Whenever it benefits you, you tell her exactly what she can do and not. Now, would you please be so kind and talk to her?"

"Ok, ok. I will."

Sasukes phone vibrated. His driver was waiting outside.

"Well, then, I'll be off."

"So, who're you meeting?"

"Mr. Hatake Kakashi."

"Oh, my my. Say, does Ino know? I mean, dating someone else before getting married is not a very nice thing to do, no?"

"The only person I am dating is Ino. I would never cheat on the person I love. Besides, Mr. Hatake and I-"

Itachi slammed his fist into the wall and turned to Sasuke, eyes dark.

"Hey, I'm onto you, you little twerp. If you think I don't know what's going on, you must just be downright stupid. Now, I couldn't give a damn about who you screw, Sasuke, but this whole engagement-thing is both childish and very unprofessional! In all these years we've both known I was supposed to be the one to take over after father, and you've said you were ok with that. When did I wrong you so, for you to suddenly go out of your way to marry? And not just anybody, but HER!"

The door flew open and through it stumbled a slightly red cheeked Yamanaka Ino.

"Guys, are you fighting again? Stop fightiiing, that's no fun? Who were you talking about?"

"No-one." The Uchiha brothers said in unison.

"Oh, ok."

Ino hooked her arm onto Itachi's and started nudging him in the ribs.

"Come on, Itachi, we're waiting for you. Deidara can do the coolest party tricks, did you know? You have to see this! You too, darling, join us for once!"

"I have an appointment, Ino. I'm sorry. But there's plenty of champagne in the kitchen, so please help yourself to it."

"Score! Itachi, go get the champagne and I'll tell Deidei to wait with the trick until you get there, ok?"

Itachi eyed his little brother while clenching his jaws so tight Sasuke was afraid they might snap. If looks could kill Sasuke would be screaming in pain right now.

"Have fun." Sasuke smirked and gave his older brother a wink.

"You'll pay for this, you little shit." Itachi muttered under his breath.

"Already did. All those bottles are mine."

Ino forcefully dragged Itachi out of the room as Itachi pointed aggressively towards his brother.

"Sasuke! You're dead! Dead, you hear me!"

Sasuke snickered silently as the yells of his older brother faded down the corridor.

The second Sasuke stepped out of his car in front of the spectacular "Rinnegan Room", his phone vibrated. He knew what the message would be about before even opening it.

"Sasuuusweetie 3

Sometin' just came up,

will b a little late, tho

it shouldn't b 2 long.

xxx Kaka"

Sasuke sighed to himself. Why he always showed up five minutes before their appointments, he didn't know.

"Welcome, dear sir. Do you have a reservation with us tonight?"

The girl at the desk managed to say the strictly rehearsed welcoming, but her furious blushing revealed she was painfully aware of who she was standing face to face with.

"The reservation is on the name Hatake."

"Thank you, sir. Welcome to the Rinnegan Room."

He entered the restaurant area on the first floor and quickly scanned the room for people he knew. A pink haired woman in a long, black dress caught his eyes for a few seconds. Her eyes darted away and she said something to her date before quickly glancing up at him again. Uchiha Sasuke's face was probably known to every person living in Konoha, but what was it about this woman's face, Sasuke wondered. Maybe it simply was the pink hair that contrasted to all of the other female guests. The pink haired woman's date also had a somewhat wild hairdo. This couple was not a part of the Rinnegan Rooms normal clientele, that much was obvious.

Sasuke decided to have a drink at the bar and wait until Hatake Kakashi decided to show up. The Rinnegan Room was one of Konohas most fashionable and hip restaurants and its quests were usually those fond of high standard. The food was always excellent and the elegant fusion between restaurant and club always did seem to appeal to Uchiha Sasuke very well.

The walls were painted in a grayish purple color and the floor was entirely made of some sort of mirror-material. When the place turned into club-mode around 1 a.m, the mirror floor, strobe lights and live saxophonists accompanied with creative Djs swept you away from reality and into a surrealistic world of sights and sounds. Of course, an escape from reality such as this one cost a lot, and a private booth for a single evening would mean one had to pull out 2000 KHR from your pocket. But then again, 2000 KHR was but mere pocket fluff for a man like Uchiha Sasuke. However, Kakashi was the one paying tonight, and Sasuke presumed the author had booked the top booth.

"Psst! Naruto!"

Naruto glanced up at the woman across the table with his mouth full of food.

"Mwha?"

"For christ sake, would you stop slurping? Half the restaurant is staring!"

Naruto turned none too discreetly and saw several pairs of eyes that quickly looked away.

"Ah, they really are looking."

"Listen, Naruto, please show some table manners. It's already obvious we don't fit in here considering your hair-do, but at least try to act like the rest of you do!"

"What's wrong with my hair? At least it's not pink!"

"Hey, people can't choose their own hair color when they're born, pink just happened to be mine, ok? You use, I don't know, half a kilogram of wax to get those stupid spikes of yours stand like arrows? Spikes are on its way out, you know? It looks childish-"

"Does not. Lots of guys have spiky hair."

"It doesn't matter, it still looks stupid. Look around you; you see lots of guys here with spiky hair?"

"No. But Hatake Kakashi has spiky hair."

"Yeah, I know. And it looks stupid. He's had the same hair-do for fifteen years!"

"The Legendary Jiraiya has spiky hair, and he's pretty popular with the ladies."

"Please, let's not talk about Jiraiya. Or his stupid hair."

"Uchiha Sasuke has spiky hair."

"That..", Sakura stuttered slightly and a faint blush colored her cheeks. "That's different. He has spiky hair, but in a different way. It's classy and it shows a bit of personality."

"It does not."

"It does!"

Sakura slammed her fist on the table and a fork was sent flying across the room and stood in the wall two seconds later. The room went dead quiet.

A waiter came up to their table with a strained smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, but for the sake of our other guests, please quiet down a bit. If not I will have to ask you to leave."

Both Sakura and Naruto bowed slightly and apologized.

They ate in silence for the next few minutes before Naruto couldn't stand it anymore.

"You quite like Uchiha Sasuke, don't you?"

"Tsk, what's this about? Sure, I think he's hot, but that's it."

"Naw, that's not what I think. Shikamaru told me you asked to get copies of some of the photos he took at the press con."

Sakuras hand stilled for a slight second, before sighing and taking a sip from her wine.

"Ok, so I like him. What's the big deal? 90 percent of Konohas female population likes him. It's not like I ever expected to meet him and talk to him and get to know him and be with him and hold hands with him and maybe kiss him and-"

"Sakura. Breathe."

"… It doesn't matter. He's getting married to that butt ugly pig Ino, anyway.."

Naruto had never seen someone stab potatoes with such force before in his life.

"You were childhood friends, weren't you?"

"Hah! "Friends"… It was more like she ordered me around and since I was shy and insecure I didn't know better than to do as I was told. She also knew Uchiha Sasuke, even back then. Their fathers knew each other. I remember we used to, or rather, I used to clip out his picture whenever it was in the papers or magazines and put it up on the wall in Ino's room. "

"Did you ever meet him? When you were young, I mean."

"I would hardly call it to meet someone, but I saw him once, when I was about twelve years old. I'd been asking Ino for years, asking if she could please let me come along when her family was visiting the Uchiha's, but she always said no. Though this one time, Fukaku, Itachi and Sasuke came by Ino's house unexpectedly, so that's when I saw him."

"Well, if you finally got to meet him then why didn't you speak to him?"

"Ino told me to stay in her room, and not come down until they had gone. She didn't want Sasuke to know she had a friend who was a commoner. She said I would just embarrass her if I spoke with him. I remember I listened closely at the door, and when I heard they were on their way to leave I snuck out and silently crept down the stairs so no-one would notice me. Sasuke was the last to leave and as he was closing the door he looked right at me, like he knew I was there all along and I was so surprised that I almost fell. He smiled and he gave me a slight nod before closing the door. Ino was absolutely furious with me for a week because of that."

Sakura couldn't understand when it had become so okay to speak with Naruto about such things, but even though she thought he could be a noisy idiot at times, she felt that when she was talking about herself Naruto really listened.

"You're nervous."

Sakura laughed with a somewhat sad expression on her face and put the glass to her lips again.

"So I'm that obvious.."

"Hey, calm down ok? Everything's probably gonna be alright."

Naruto put his hand over hers and squeezed slightly. For the unknown this would probably look like a couple sharing a romantic moment, and not two journalists at work.

"I like the fact that you actually say 'probably'.", Sakura laughed and squeezed Narutos hand right back.

Not even a second later Uchiha Sasuke stepped into the room, and Sakura snatched her hand back, gasping.

"He's here."

Naruto was about to turn around, but Sakura kicked him in the leg to stop him.

"Don't turn around, he'll see you. He's looking… right at me."

Naruto was sure he saw stars in her eyes.

"Sakura, remember we're at work ok? Just act like I'm your date, but observe whatever you can and I'll do the same. My hope is that he doesn't see me, as he'll most probably recognize me, so tonight I will have to rely heavily on your help. Here, take this and put it wherever's best."

Sakura snapped out of her daze and looked at the tiny black and silver device Naruto was handing her.

"What's this?"

"It's a Hyper Mini i300. Shikamaru lent it to me; it's a tiny video camera concealed as a hairpin. Just press this button and place it where you think it will get a good view."

"Clever."

Sakura took the hairpin and put it in her hair, making sure the lens was in the direction of the bar.

"Thank you, darling. How do I look?"

"Babe, you look wonderful."

Naruto winked and Sakura couldn't help but feel happy from the comment even though they were just colleagues at work.

"Now, whatever move he makes, make sure the left side of your head faces him. I don't know if this will help us or not, but I figured we could at least try, so let's do our best, ok?"

"You've got it."

Sakura smiled and Naruto allowed himself to take a quick look in the direction of the bar.

Uchiha Sasuke sat with his back turned to them, quietly smoking a cigarette and sipping to a glass with something brown, probably whiskey, in it. Naruto couldn't sit there and jot down in his notebook now, as it would probably draw attention, so bringing Shikamaru's video camera maybe wasn't a bad idea after all.

"Does he have anything with him? A briefcase or a bag or something like that?" Naruto asked and he saw Sakura looking in direction of the bar without turning her head.

"Not what I can see from here."

"Hey, what if I go to the toilet? Then I'll have to pass by the bar."

"Wait," Sakura said and downed her wineglass completely. "I have a better idea."

"What?"

Sakura stood and Naruto immediately got nervous.

"S-sakura, Sakura, what? You're gonna talk to him?"

"Yep."

"He's your crush, you're gonna blow our cover!"

"Shut up, I've had four glasses of wine; I know what I'm doing."

While Naruto had to think about where the logic in that sentence was, Sakura was already on her way to the bar.

He saw her stop a slightly two meters away from Sasuke, with her left side facing him, and Naruto relaxed a bit, knowing Sakura hadn't lied when saying she knew what she was doing. For a secretary and rarely in the field she sure was a quick learner.

"Excuse me,"

Sakura placed both her hands on the bar, her pale skin in deep contrast with the black bar top.

"I tried to get the attention of your co-workers, but it seems they failed to notice me."

The middle-aged waiter behind the bar excused the bad service of his colleagues, to which Sakura smiled a brilliant smile and told him everything was ok if he could make her two Dry Martinis.

"I don't find you hard to notice."

Sakura heard and knew exactly whose voice that was, but she pretended not to have heard completely. She turned slightly, felt her own heart race almost painfully fast in her chest, but she did all she could to force herself calm.

"Excuse me?", she said as if she was unsure he was talking to her or someone else.

"I said I don't find you hard to notice, so I wonder why the waiters do."

Sakura swore to herself she would run home and scream like a crazy person into her pillow all night as soon as she was done here. She couldn't understand that Uchiha Sasuke was talking to her, and not only talking to her but saying he finds her easy to notice. No words could describe how happy she was at this very moment, but on the outside she put up a slight smile and sighed, calm and collected.

"Well, I thought pink hair was fairly easy to notice, but maybe the waiters here are colorblind."

"Oh, I meant the dress, not your hair. Though, your hair isn't hard to notice either. It's quite an uncommon color. To tell you the truth I've only seen a person with pink hair once in my entire life, and you're the second. "

Sakura looked down at her dress to hide her blush. Was it the twelve year old girl in the staircase he was remembering? She couldn't believe this.

"That's a Haku dress, isn't it?"

"It is, yes. I love his designs."

"So do I. His style is simple and clean, something I really appreciate in a designer."

"Two dry Martinis for the lovely Mademoiselle.", the waiter said and placed the two drinks in front of Sakura.

"Let me bring them to your table, mademoiselle."

"Please, let me." Sasuke said and stood from his chair.

"Oh, don't let me bother you. I can take them myself."

"That's some date you have there. I would never let my date go order me a drink."

"Oh, he's, um.. he managed to sprain his leg the other week, so I told him to sit."

"A real man should endure his pain in front of his loved one, not make benefit from it." Sasuke said and took the two glasses of martini.

"Honestly, really, I can take them myself. Don't let me inconvenience you any further."

"You'll only inconvenience me more if you won't let me do you this favor."

Naruto could hear Sakuras voice more clearly, but accompanied by a male voice. A cool, calm and composed voice and it could be none other.

He could see Sakura sit down in front of him, her expression somewhat nervous.

"Thank you so much, sir. You really didn't have to."

"Of course I had to. You're wearing a Haku. There you go, and one for the sir with the sprained-"

Sasuke cut himself short, a puzzled look on his face for a split second, before straightening up smiling ever so slightly.

"I didn't know journalists of your standard had income enough to frequent a place like this."

Naruto sat his eyes straight into Uchiha's and returned the smile.

"Well, you know. A woman as beautiful as this one deserves only the best, don't you agree?"

"Of course."

"Which reminds me, where have you hidden your fiancée tonight? Shouldn't she be here with you?"

"My fiancée is enjoying a quiet evening at our home, and I have a meeting with a friend."

"Mr. Uchiha."

Someone called from behind them and all three pairs of eyes turned in the direction of the voice.

A tall man in a silver-gray suit stood there slouching with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a black paper bag.

"A friend? The last time we spoke you told me Mr. Hatake was simply an acquaintance. "

"I will have to excuse myself," Sasuke said and bowed down to whisper something to Naruto. He put his hand, not on Naruto's shoulder like most sane persons would do, but over his throat. Sasuke's hand was slightly cold, and the touch gentle. It almost felt more like a caress, than a grip to his throat, and Naruto could immediately feel his pulse quicken. What the hell was the Uchiha trying to pull, he thought to himself, shuddering.

"Write whatever the fuck you want about this, Uzumaki, except for one little thing: If I see one, single word about my supposed love-affair with Mr. Hatake I will personally see to that you have no future as a journalist in Konoha."

Sasuke stood up and smiled to Sakura.

"Please enjoy your evening."

With that said he turned and greeted Hatake Kakashi, who had stood there with a quite amused look on his face.

"What did he tell you?"

Sakura almost jumped from her seat, and Naruto needed to clear up why exactly the Uchiha had behaved like he did.

"I, um.. Please, continue filming. I'll tell you later."

Hatake Kakashi took Sasukes coat and led away to the top booth. The room had a huge window from where one could watch the restaurant and club. Though, Uchiha Sasuke wasn't at the Rinnegan Room to watch the crowd tonight.

"The top booth. The best spot in this whole club."

"Absolutely, Uchiha. We've had lots of fun here, haven't we?"

Hatake Kakashi winked to Sasuke, who was standing by the window looking at nothing in particular.

"Red or white?"

Sasuke turned from the window, facing a Hatake Kakashi with bottles in each hand and flashed the older man a sincere smile, the one the public never got to see. The smile Uchiha Sasuke only smiled when he had reason to be very excited.

"Well, how about gold? I feel like celebrating tonight."

Hatake Kakashi couldn't agree more, and gladly put away the two bottles of wine.

"Ceuve Vlicquot?", Kakashi asked, popping the cap before letting Sasuke answer.

"The only woman in the world I'm faithful to."

Kakashi poured two glasses, handing one to Uchiha.

"Well said, darling. Enchanté."

Naruto had seen Sasuke in the window of the top booth a few seconds ago. He wasn't sure if there was anything more they could do here. Maybe it would be better if he got back to the office and started working on something, but somehow he felt completely empty. The one and only thing Naruto could think of was how puzzling Uchiha Sasukes behavior had been. The man rarely spoke to people he didn't know, let alone help them. Why had he insisted on taking the Martinis to their table and what exactly was Naruto supposed to write? The ideal story would be to rip up in old rumors and plaster a huge, grainy picture of Uchiha and Hatake for the mid-page story, under the title "Uchiha secretly meeting best-selling author before wedding! – What is the real story behind these meetings?". But now, after practically being told he'll never work in Konoha again if he writes what he want, what could he really write?

A celebrity magazine doesn't sell from sunshine-stories. That was the first thing Tsunade had told him after he started working for her. The public like the stars in their expensive designer clothes, smiling on red carpets, see their beautiful photographs, glamour, style and read about something ideal they know they can never compare to. Yet, whenever scandal hits there are no-one else gorging more in the tragedy than the stars' very own fans. Sometimes Naruto would stop and think why exactly he had ended up in this line of work; He never found an answer, but with a notepad and a pen in his hand he could always earn enough to bring food to the table. And now the Uchiha had more or less gagged him, or so it had sounded like, so what could he do now? He'd promised everyone he would do his absolute best, but which was better; say nothing and disappoint everyone or write what he wanted and maybe end up in a black bag somewhere in outskirts of Konohas ghetto?

This was blackmailing, wasn't it? On the other hand, Naruto was actually the one prying into someone else's private life, and he knew this was just a part of his job. If the Uchiha wanted to play king, then Naruto would be no worse.

The truth was, he couldn't give a rat's arse about what the Uchiha told him. Black plastic bags or not; He had a story needed to be written.

"So…"

Sasuke leaned back in his chair and put his legs on the table, shiny, black leather shoes rubbing against the tabletop.

"So…"

Kakashi replied smiling as he picked up the black paper bag from the floor.

"The first print?"

"So fresh it's still hot, dear."

Kakashi handed the bag over to Sasuke, who accepted it with grate curiosity. He pulled the book out, the cover in deep, shiny red and with an illustration of a slightly bent safety pin with a glowing tip. The title was written in bold, black letters, at the very bottom of the cover.

" 'Hot needle.'?"

"Open it."

Sasuke did as he was told and right as he opened to the first page a photo fell out and landed face down on the table.

Kakashi saw the tiny sparkle in the Uchiha's eyes as the younger man turned the photo around. After a few seconds of examination Sasuke looked at Kakashi, eyes playful, yet sharp and steady.

"You can't be serious?"

Sasuke put the book back in the bag, but held onto the photo. All Kakashi offered was a calm smile.

"Hah! You really are serious?"

There was nothing Hatake Kakashi loved more in this world than to see Uchiha Sasuke as excited and full of energy as he was now.

"Sasuke," Kakashi started, voice serious and calm.

"I would like to thank you for a great collaboration, and all the things you've thought me in the world of business. I don't know if the public will see the true resemblance between the main character and you, but I hope you will find it interesting nonetheless. Only you and I know what's not fiction in this book, but no-one else needs to know, right?"

"I'm looking forward to read it, and I am absolutely sure it will be a storming hit like the rest of your works."

"So, for the bookmark, does it suit your fancy?"

"It's fantastic. When can I start using it?"

Kakashi had to let out a short laugh. The youngest Uchiha didn't let any time go to waste when it was a matter of his main interests.

"Tomorrow."

Uchiha Sasuke didn't say anything for several seconds, and Kakashi enjoyed seeing the younger man speechless.

"I think I love you a little, right now…'Kashi."

Hatake Kakashi sat up in a split second and leaned over the table, looking the Uchiha deep in the eyes.

"Well, _I_ think I deserve at least a kiss for this."

Uchiha Sasuke mimicked Hatake Kakashi's exact movement from a few seconds earlier and crept almost half the way over the table, staring right back into the older man's eyes, so close their noses almost touched.

"But I'm getting married in three weeks. I wouldn't cheat on my fiancée, you know that."

Kakashi slouched back in his chair, the playful tone in his voice suddenly back.

"You'll go rough up the Sand's presidential son tomorrow, but a lonely, old man can't even get a kiss? This world is so cruel."

Kakashi huffed and made a pout.

"Well, pop another bottle and get me drunk, and we'll see about that kiss."

"Uchiha Sasuke. You're a complete slut, you know that?"

"Uh-huh."

Sasuke blew the older man a kiss and winked.

* * *

So, that was the second chapter to "On the glossy cover" !

Some explenations:

KHR = Konoha Ryou. 1000 KHR = ca. 1700 dollars. This valuta is of course completely fictional ;P

Ceuve Vlicquot = Veuve Clicquot. Yes, I have no imagination.

I have no knowledge of what it means to be a journalist whatsoever, so please bear that in mind!

I would love to hear your thoughts, so please remember to review!


	3. Copyright part I

**A/N: First things first, I am insanely sorry for the long hiatus. After I posted chapter two last year I had an enormous writers-block while being in school in Japan, where I had too much work at my hands that I simply had no energy to work on the story. It never left my mind though, and as I have said earlier, i would never give up on a story until it's finished. On the other hand I've finally come to realize how some fic writers can suddenly come to a complete halt and not post something for months, even a year. Real life obligations just have to come first.**

**On this chapter I would like to comment that it will be chopped up into two, maybe three parts. The length will be a bit shorter than the other ones, but hopefully it will be a bit easier for me to post more regularly. That being said, I still have no beta so if anyone's up for the job and would like to have a go at it, i would be really grateful.**

**And as always, disclaimer: I do not own the characters from 'Naruto'. They are created and owned by Masashi Kishimoto. I do not make profit from this.**

**For the people who have reviewed so far and added my story to favorites (really? You're FABULOUS!), I deeply apologize for the long wait.**

**Now, read, and hopefully, enjoy chapter three part one "Copyright"!**

* * *

**On the Glossy Cover Chapter 3: "Copyright."**

_From: uchihasasuke  
To: sabakunogaara  
Subject: Meeting, Konoha UTC  
Time: 08:43_

_Hello,_

_I met with Mr. Hatake Kakashi yesterday, and he told me to contact you on this address.  
I'd be very pleased to finally get to meet you, and hope you have nothing planned for tomorrow afternoon/evening? If you are free I will have you flown in to Konoha International Airport tomorrow at 01:30 pm. A car will be waiting for you to take you to the Konoha Continental.  
Please let me know if there's anything you're not satisfied with._

_I hope to see you here tomorrow._

_Best regards,_

_Uchiha Sasuke_

_Vice President  
UTC_

The 55m² apartment on Southern Anbu Avenue smelled of fresh coffee. Three sleep-sought young men in their twenties sat around the tiny kitchen table, quietly sipping their mugs, one of them fiddling subconsciously with a mini flash drive in his hand.

"Pass the sugar, will ya."

Naruto handed Kiba the cup of sugar in a most lethargic kind of way, not diverting his gaze from the sky-blue wall in front of him.

He and Shikamaru had lived there together for four years, and Kiba had moved in just last winter. Kiba sat on the short side of the table with his chair propped up against the stove. With Shikamaru and Naruto on each side of him it was painfully obvious that their 55 square meters was anything but enough. This was something Naruto usually thought about while drinking his morning coffee, but this morning there were other more pressing matters than the situation of their tiny home.

He'd written a 1500 piece for the story, a significant length of a story for just rumor speculation. He'd stilled a couple of pictures from the film Sakura had managed to shoot and with just the flick of his wrist both story and pictures would be pressed and ready for sale in no time. The only reason that kept him from sending it to the pressers was the sincerity of the Uchihas words. He was mentioning Hatake Kakashi in the story, but the focus was not mainly on Hatake but The Rinnegan Room as a hotspot for celebrities. For the picture he'd decided on a black and white shot of Uchiha Sasuke at the bar, drinking his whiskey. Surely, it could probably be enough for the Uchiha to get uppity, but when the main focus wasn't on Hatake, could he really be angry? Could he really go as far as making Naruto lose his job? As long as there were Uchiha blood running in a person's veins you could never be too sure, Naruto thought to himself.

"Naruto, you finished with that?"

Naruto snapped out of his train of thoughts and looked at Shikamaru, who was wearing a somewhat strained smile.

"That's the seventh sugar cube you're putting in your coffee.."

Naruto looked down at his own hand, apparently ready to drop another cube of sugar into his cup.

"Ugh.." he grimaced and shoved it away.

"Hey, hey, if you're not drinking it, can I have it?"

Naruto nodded and could not fail to see the striking resemblance between Kiba and an eager dog waiting for food. The stuff Shikamaru and Naruto left uneaten always ended up in Kiba's stomach and it was a mystery to all of them how he never put on weight.

"You're nervous about publishing it?"

Shikamaru always caught on quicker than anyone.

"A bit."

"It'll be fine, you know. Everyone's waiting for something good, you gonna leave'em hanging? Besides, this is your job, Bro. I want to have food to eat next week too."

"Of course, so do I but I'm not sure this is so good, though."

"You still have another week and a half to get that interview the old hag's talking about, better to start somewhere, no?"

Shikamaru poured Naruto a new cup of coffee to which he was grateful. He finally managed to put down the mini flash drive and took the cup in both hands.

"You're probably right."

_From: sabakunogaara  
To: uchihasasuke  
Subject: RE: Meeting, Konoha UTC  
Time: 09:06_

_Mr. Uchiha,_

_Thank you for your quick response; I'm happy to hear you want to meet so soon.  
As for tomorrow I have no other plans, but I'll save you the hassle of flying me in. I'll take my own jet, but would still appreciate a car to take me to the Continental._

_Do let me know if there's anything you want me to bring from Suna._

_I look forward to finally get to meet you, in private for a change._

_Sincere regards,_

_Sabaku no Gaara_

With staggering steps Naruto entered the office with the flash drive tight in hand. He hadn't been able to get much sleep debating with himself whether to do this or not, but he figured after all that Shikamaru was right. This was his job. And even if it wasn't the most glorious kind of work, he was expected to take it as seriously as any other job. He expected it from himself too. Just within a couple of weeks he'd been thrown head-first into a much bigger project than he'd ever worked on before in his career, and for the first time ever Naruto was very reluctant when handing the drive over to Sakura.

"How much is it?"

"Not too big. It's rather short, but there's the pics and…"

Naruto gnawed his lip and resisted when Sakura tried to take the flash from him.

"And..? Naruto, what's the matter? Please give me the flash, we're due to deadline in ten minutes!"

He let it go with a heavy sigh.

"Sakura.. Last night at dinner, Uchiha told me if I wrote something that would put him in a bad light connected to Hatake, he would see to that I lose my job… Now, the stuff on that file is probably something he wouldn't want out so soon before his wedding, but I… I don't know, for the first time after I started working here I'm really unsure of what will become of this. Of course, it'll sell, but… That guy has power, Sakura. Huge influence on this whole city, no, the country even. I'm a mere journalist for a gossip magazine. I'm dirt. No-one will notice if I was to disappear, there would be a new journalist taking over and-"

"Naruto."

Sakura put her hand on Naruto's shoulder and smiled warmly at him.

"Don't talk like that. You're our best journalist. This isn't like you! Where's all that bad energy coming from, huh? It's a threat, alright, and I know he's a powerful man, but… You've been threatened a thousand of other times, you managed to get out of trouble in one way or another, and I'm sure you'll do it again. I have faith in you. Tsunade Chief has faith in you, we all have. And that bullshit about no-one noticing if you were gone.. Ok, so we have other good journalists too, but none of them have your guts."

"Sakura…"

Sakura's words planted a good, warm feeling deep into his chest, the one he always felt when the people around him praised him, or appreciated his things that he did. He felt the weight on his shoulders lessen up, if only a little.

"Thank you, Sakura."

She started running down the corridor with his flash drive and waved at him.

"Don't thank me, Naruto. We're all a team here."

He watched her go until she disappeared through the doors. His pulse pounded hard in his whole body, well aware that there was no turning back now. Well, the good thing about just delivering a story meant he would have time for some rest. He'd go by Tsunade's office to let her know he'd handed in, and then go home to get some sleep. The magazine would be out in stores early the next morning, and his next step would be figured out together with Tsunade after the next sales evaluation meeting.

He thought about asking his boss about his future as well. Things were starting to look rough, and though his friends were there encouraging him, he would have to find out what to do in an absolute worst case scenario.

With his hands in his pockets he went to Tsunade's office, walking slowly.

At the other end of town a glass of whiskey on the rocks was put down on a smooth mahogany desk, there was a sound of fingers across a keyboard and a slight smirk that settled on the perfect, pale face of Uchiha Sasuke.

It wasn't really there, but in Naruto's mind there was a happy tune playing as he cracked his eyes open to greet his first day off in weeks. Yesterday when he'd gone to Tsunade's office she had been so happy about the story and allowed him a day off in thanks for his hard work.  
There really wasn't anything else quite like it, waking up graced with gentle sunbeams on your face and hear the bluebirds chirp on the outside of your window. He smirked at his alarm clock mockingly as its red, digital numbers told him it was 11 in the morning.

"Thought you was gonna get your way with me today, too? Not today, you stupid, mechanic piece of shit. Not today."

"Stop talking to your clock, man, you sound like a complete loon."

Naruto turned to see Kiba in the door to his room. Clad in his slacks and the worn t-shirt that said "You say 'LOL' but sometimes I wonder…", he presented his room-mate with a crackling frying pan loaded with eggs and bacon. Naruto never really understood what the message on Kiba's t-shirt was supposed to mean, but seeing as Kiba was so into all kinds of internet memes, it was probably related to that. The deep, salty scent of bacon made him forget about it quickly, and he heard his stomach growl.

"Why are you still here? You have a day off too?"

Kiba scoffed, turned and walked back to the kitchen as he whined to Naruto over his shoulder.

"So, that's the gratitude one gets from making breakfast to a friend.."

Naruto rolled his eyes and knew for a fact that Kiba would probably eat more than half of it anyway. He rolled out of bed, put on a t-shirt and headed after his room-mate. On the kitchen table was one huge serving of eggs and bacon and a glass of orange juice. Kiba sat down right in front of it and almost inhaled the food.

"You were just lying about making me breakfast weren't you?"

Naruto was eying the crisp, juicy bacon like a haunted man taking farewell with his loved ones.

"Yep. Thotalleh, fogoh t'was yarh day owff. Sowwy.", Kiba said with his mouth stuffed, tiny pieces of food landing on the table top. He dried his mouth off by the back of his hand and pointed his thumb to the cupboards.

"I bought some more cup noodles, though."

Naruto immediately brightened up, bacon completely forgotten. There was nothing in the whole wide world Naruto liked more than ramen, and even though these were the convenience store kind, they were pretty good. Once every month when he got his salary he usually treated himself to his favorite ramen place in Konoha, but only when he felt he could really afford it. Rent was soon due, and he wouldn't get his pay check for another two weeks, so cup noodles would have to do in the meantime. At least the ones Kiba had bought were chicken flavored, so he couldn't really complain.

"So what are you doing today? You're usually the one up early, hunting out the juicy stuff. Nothing cool going down tonight?"

Naruto saw Kiba look straight at him, ripping the bacon to shreds with his sharp teeth. He gave Naruto a slightly amused look before laughing gently, answering him.

"Really, dude? THE biggest stuff is going down tonight. Right here in Konoha. But nothing's happening until at least three hours, so I'm here saving energy."

"Sounds dope. Anything big?"

Naruto slurped half the cup into his mouth, giving more attention to his food than to what Kiba was saying.

"Hell yeah..! Weird you haven't heard about it yet.. Thought this was kinda your case.."

Kiba's words drowned as Naruto's cellphone went off. He flipped the screen up, and his stomach did a slight twirl.

Kiba perked up and saw Naruto's face suddenly looking tired again.

"Oh, I know that look. It's the 'Omfg-NOES-boss-is-calling-on-my-day-off'-face.", he said sneering at Naruto, who only waved him off, turning to the window and with dread building in his stomach he answered his call.

"Uzumaki here."

"_Hey Kid, it's your boss here."_

"Hi boss.."

Kiba snorted behind him.

"_Now listen up, kiddo. You and Sakura did a good job on the Rinnegan Room coverage, the photos were really smooth. It's also good you wrote a little bit about the Room as a place for the hip and cool celebs and all, and I saw Sakura did a full fashion coverage on what Sasuke was wearing. Great. Good job. But kid, where is that getting us? The mag was out nine o'clock this morning and I'm expecting a sales report in two hours, but still, hey, we're professional amateurs here. This shit won't sell. You know that much, don't you?"_

"Yes, ma'am. I do."

"_So where's all the juicy stuff, kid? You reported Hatake was there, and that they disappeared to a private suite and stayed there until closing hours, but come on, kid! Uchiha's wedding is two weeks away, and if we wanna cause a riot before Barbie and Ken says 'I do', we have to get cracking."_

"Yes, ma'am."

"_I'm glad we're on the same wave, Naruto. Work hard, kid. I expect you to deliver something we can really dig our teeth into by early tomorrow morning-_"

"Tomorrow? But today is my-"

"_..so we can print before the Weekend edition. See ya, kid!_"

The line went dead.

"..day off…", Naruto trailed off to himself. As on cue, a bird took a shit on the window in front of him. No more nice day, no more day off. Naruto let his shoulders slump down and sighed overdramatically.

"Kiba, please tell me why my life sucks?"

"Because you use too much cologne and you're a celeb mag journalist, what do you expect?"

"Hey, what's wrong with using a little more cologne than the average man? At least I use it, compared to a certain other who smells of cigs and wet dog, here."

Kiba scrunched up his nose in question and sniffed his own armpits. Naruto watched and mentally screamed when Kiba just shrugged and continued eating.

"Well, Tsunade forgot it was my day off today, so-"

"She probably didn't forget, she's just like that y'know. 'er mood changes as quickly as the wind turns.", Kiba interrupted.

"Sadly, so, so true. Anyway, I guess I will have to head on out and try to get some work done. See you later, man. Have fun hunting."

Naruto got his old leather bag, his notepad and pen, his cell phone and a can of iced coffee before he left their apartment.

The weather was too nice to have to work in. Naruto regrettably started thinking about all the things he would have used this marvelous day for, as he walked down the stairs of their apartment building. He put his headphones on and stepped onto the warm pavement, when suddenly something hit his head. He stared down to see it was an empty chicken flavored ramen cup. The one he'd just had his breakfast from. He looked up and saw Kiba hanging halfway out their kitchen window.

"NARUTO! Shikamaru just called and he says he needs me to help out with a photo shoot, so I have to cancel the other gig I had planned for today."

"Yeah? Well, gee, that must suck. I'm just here on my day off and suddenly IT'S NOT MY DAY OFF!"

"That's why I was thinking you could do my gig, then you'd at least have something to do? C'mon man, it's a pin up photo shoot with the girl that won the Miss Rock Country competition! I NEED to go help out."

Naruto pictured being in the same room as Miss Rock Country and almost melted just by the mere thought.

"I want to help out, too. Take me with you."

"Hell no. But listen up, go to Konoha International Airport in two hours, and just hang around at 'Arrivals', and hey, bring this."

Kiba disappeared for a brief second and Naruto didn't even have the time to scream as he saw Kiba reappear and throw Shikamaru's newest camera out the window. He managed to catch it by the strap, the lens swaying mere inches from the burning asphalt.

"ARE YOU INSANE? Shikamaru would have thrown _you_ out the window if he saw that!"

"Whatever, just do as I told ya. Gotta go take a shower, see you tonight!", Kiba waved, closing the window.

"Wait up! Hey! Kiba!"

The window opened again and a mop of the spiky, brown hair appeared for the second time.

"What?"

"Who am I supposed hunt at the airport, who am I writing about?"

"Jeez, I told you when your phone rang earlier! I don't know any details, but apparently Mr. Swagga-Dagga-Ding-Dong is picking somebody up at the airport, and it's supposed to be completely hush-hush, so this could mean gold for us."

"..Mr. Swagga-who?"

"Uchiha! Uchiha frickin' Sasuke, you noob!"

Immediately Naruto regained some energy and he felt a tiny flame was set ablaze in his blood once again. The timing couldn't have been more perfect, and Kiba had literally given him the best trail to go after.

"Thank you, Kiba! Gotta run!"

He dashed off down Anbu Avenue to find a taxi. On his way to the airport he got his notepad out, scribbling down the date and time and where he was and what he was planning to do. He would go to the airport an hour early to try to ask around for starters. Suddenly it wasn't so depressing to have to work on what was supposed to be his day off; He felt lucky. And hyper.

He wouldn't disappoint today, he could just feel it. The world was his again.

* * *

- fin Copyright part I -

_Please review, and once again, I'm incredibly sorry for the long break!_

_A/N 2: as some of you may see I have no knowledge of the world of journalism whatsoever, so if you do happen to study media or journalism and see all my mistakes and faults, just laugh and see past them will you? 3_


	4. Copyright part II

**A/N: Before I say anything else, I think an apology is in order. The last time I updated this story was last year, and I said said I hoped I would be able to update on a more regular basis. I can't even begin to say how sorry I am for how long this has taken me, though it comes with a bitter undertone on my behalf as well: In January my computer got infected, and whilst trying to fix it I managed to wipe my entire hard disk. All my movies, school projects, fan fiction and yeah, just about everything disappeared. I had part 2 and 3 written out for "Copyright", and when I lost them I honestly felt that my hours and hours of work just disappeared right in front of my eyes, and that kind of took all the willpower out of me. I couldn't even begin to think about this story without becoming irritated, so I haven't really touched it until recently. So, what you see in this chapter is what I've been able to write out of memory from the first draft.  
Even so, I am so humbled by your reviews and the people who add my story to favorites and story updates, you are all fantastic, even though I kind of expected most of you would give up on me because of the lengthy pauses.. Anyway, thank you so much for bearing with me. Please read and review part two of "Copyright", and I hope you enjoy it.  
**

**As I said the last time I updated (ugh), "Copyright" will be split over three parts, and this one, like part one, is a bit shorter than the first two chapters. I really hope I can update soon, and that I can keep away from computer trouble! ****Thank you for reading, it really means a lot.**

**OK! That's enough about me, here's "Copyright Part II" !**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from 'Naruto'. They are created and owned by Masashi Kishimoto, and I do not make profit from this.

* * *

**On the Glossy Cover Chapter 4: Copyright – part II**

Uchiha Sasuke stood in front of his mirror, styling his hair into his trademark look. His hair made a strong contrast to the rest of his collected appearance, spiky and wild. The occasional time he thought about how big a consumption of hair styling products his daily routine consisted of, he sometimes wished he could just cut it all off. He would of course never admit to this if ever asked; He was Uchiha Sasuke, he had an image to uphold, both as a successful businessman as well as an icon of style. The hair, the products and the ever tiring styling, it would all remain as it were.

Sasuke in the public eye, or in the company of his many acquaintances, was the always calm and collected young man. The man that kept his cool whatever the circumstance and the one that made others obey his every demand just by the look of his eyes.  
By himself, in a seldom moment, the more human, or weak as he thought himself, side of the man would find its way to the surface. This wasn't something he ever showed to his family, or even his fiancée. Only two of his friends knew this side of Sasuke, and that was Hyuuga Hinata and Hatake Kakashi. Also considering that Hinata was his secretary, this meant only Hatake was left in the real 'friends-department'.

The truth was, behind the well built up fortune, image and reputation, Uchiha Sasuke was a rather introvert and lonely 25 year old. Not lonely, in the sense of not having any company around him. He had plenty, all the time. And yet, there wasn't anything in the world that made him feel more alone and friend-less than being in a room full of partners, acquaintances or even his very own family. If anyone of them knew the truth, the real truth, about him, they would never stick around him like moths to a lit lamp.

All these things welled up inside his mind as he stood there preparing himself for the day ahead. And as of this day, whilst getting ready to meet the Sand's presidential son Gaara, not for a meeting of business or politics, but for something that, in all reality, was considered a date, he was more nervous than he ever wanted to admit, even to himself. He was taking a huge risk. He knew that very well. In two weeks time he would be a married man. A _very_ married man; Not only his own future depended on the marriage, the whole future of his family business. With the Uchiha-Yamanaka marriage, the merger of the two family companies would secure them the name of the biggest and most powerful corporation in the country. The press was already desperate to rip up in old rumors, and they were all frantically trying to create new ones as well. If they got a sniff into what he was doing this day, the result could be disastrous. He could be found out, and lose everything that had taken him years to establish.  
Sasuke knew Gaara was in the same position as himself, and that the man would never jeopardize his own reputation by telling anyone about this meeting. _Date_. Meeting.

Sasuke huffed silently to himself as he put in his Uchiha-crested cufflinks and straightened his tie. He knew the risk was huge, but there again, he saw himself as a risk-taker of such and this just _would_ have to go according to his planning.

There was a knock to his door and in the next second the tiny frame of his secretary appeared inside his room.

"Mr. Uchiha, your car is ready for you. Are you ready to leave now, or shall I tell him to come by at a later time?"

"No need for that."

Sasuke took his cardholder out from his top drawer and put it in the inner pocket of his new Haku-suit, tailored especially for him.

"It may be out of place of me to ask, Mr. Uchiha, but I thought you had a day off today? You shouldn't have to stress so much in such a short time before the wedding."

Sasuke couldn't help thinking how considerate his secretary was. However, she couldn't know what his real plans were. He gave her an assuring nod.

"Thank you for your concern, Hinata, but you know I have to keep an strict eye on what's going on. Even if I have the wedding coming up.."

He slung his jacket on and took a last glance at himself in the mirror. Perfect.

".. I can't leave the company to run itself while I'm relaxing, choosing tuxes."

He gave her a quick smile before walking by her, down the hall.

"Of course. Please give me a call when you wish to be picked up after work."

Sasuke halted for a second. He wasn't coming home tonight. The room at The Continental was booked until the next morning, and he had no intention of ruining his night with the foreign redhead by having to come home to his airheaded, blonde fiancée.

"Yes, about that, Hinata. It looks like it will be another all-nighter at the office, so I'll be in touch in the morning."

Hinata noted her boss' somewhat care-free tone; Usually he would grudgingly bite out about having to work all through the night, but today the younger Uchiha seemed to be more than ok with having to do so.

"I understand, Mr. Uchiha. Be sure to remember to eat."

"Hinata, stop worrying your pretty, little head over me. Be happy you don't have to see me until tomorrow morning. Take the evening off for a change."

Hinata didn't reply, but Sasuke could see her shoulders relaxing just a bit as he sat down in the car.

"I couldn't-"

"I'm the one making the calls here, mind you. Take the evening off, Hinata. See you tomorrow."

She shut the door to the car and bowed as he drove out the driveway of the huge property.

Sasuke smiled to himself as they hit the highway. He really liked his secretary. She'd been with him for three years now, and the only thing he was sorry for was not being able to tell her the things he really wanted to. Sorry for not being able to show as much concern for her as she did for him. He wanted to let her know that he appreciated her. Not for sticking by him because it was her job, but because he deep down considered her a friend. But of course, he could never tell her that.

He relaxed back into the leather seats and decided not to let the emotions over his private life take control over him. The nervousness from earlier had all but disappeared, and the only thing he was set on right now was seeing the presidential son in the flesh, and later, most hopefully, between his legs.

…

_From: sabakunogaara  
To: uchihasasuke  
Subject: RE: RE: Meeting, Konoha UTC  
Time: 13:36_

_Mr. Uchiha,_

My flight will arrive in twenty minutes, slight delay out of Suna due to a sandstorm.  
I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

_Regards,  
Sabaku no Gaara._

…

After pacing around 'Arrivals' at KIA for some thirty minutes, asking around with no result, eating a burger and some more pacing, Naruto finally managed to sit down. His legs jittered and he kept fumbling with the camera lens between his fingers. Kiba had said two hours, hadn't he?

The atmosphere at KIA was relaxed, and being in the middle of a week usually meant no long queues at check-in and no frantic mothers searching for their child before take-off to the desired holiday resort. Naruto found KIA on a normal weekday to be pleasantly boring. He had tried to ask two of the cute girls at the information desk if there was gossip of anyone special coming in for a Konoha visit today, but they couldn't give him anything to go after. Of course, if he wasn't interested in the owner of Konoha Playboy, the Legendary Jiraiya, which he sure as hell was not: He somehow managed to see the man on a regular basis coming out from his boss's office at work. He believed they used to work together, he vaguely remembers Shikamaru telling him something like that. Wouldn't been weird if it was true, they were kind of in the same business. Kind of. But instead of having the privilege of accompanying Shikamaru to glamour photo shoots and doing the occasional interview with the newest addition to Jiraiya's humble bunch of a hundred-something neko-girls, he was tailing handsome men with lots of money. The one time when Kiba had asked their boss why they never did some major coverage on female stars, Tsunade had explained to them that it was mainly the female population that bought and read their magazine and that the bigger the scoop they could get on a "hot, young piece of man-tush", as she said herself, the better the sales.

And that was obviously why Naruto found himself at the Konoha airport right at this moment; he was trying to hunt down the hot, young tushes of one Sabaku no Gaara, and his main target, Uchiha Sasuke.

It sort of dawned on him, right as he saw the public notice board in front of him switch to "baggage claim" on the Suna arrivals, that by some way or another Uchiha Sasuke had become his job lately. That was all his work consisted of as of the last few weeks, even before he and Shikamaru had done the coverage at the press conference, and even up to this day. Naruto was still hunting Uchiha Sasuke.

He found himself groaning. However exciting or rewarding it would be to have the youngest Uchiha as his main field of work, he couldn't get over the fact that he despised the man.

The letters on the digital billboard changed, and it seemed the baggage claim was finished. He got up and pulled his cap down a few more inches.

He despised the youngest Uchiha for the way he went about with all his fame and fortune, relishing in the money and attention, and yet managed to pull off the complete asshole-vibe without anybody raising a question. Or they were all only blinded by the good looks, so they didn't notice.

After a little while some few people started filing out from the sliding doors up front under 'Arrivals', and Naruto decided he already had a good enough view from where he stood.

Normally, he would flock around or run after the target he did a job on, but he decided he wanted to try another approach this day. Shikamaru usually called it the 'Mr. X'-approach, certainly something Kiba had never heard of nor certainly ever tried. He would try his best to not stand out, observe and if he stood in the possibility of losing his target out of sight, then maybe he would go for a dash, but still there wasn't any sight of the notorious redhead of the south. However secret this meeting would be, Naruto figured the presidential son would bring his bodyguard and therefore be fairly easy to spot out from the rest of travelers exiting the airport. He put the camera to motion-mode, letting him take pictures in movement and making the disturbance minimal. Naruto zoomed in on the cute girls at the information desk for a quick test shot just as a lithe figure passed his view.

He groaned, cursing how people always managed to get caught in test shots, when his head suddenly acted on its own and whipped around about 180 degrees.

"Shit!"

He slung his bag over his shoulder and ran up to where the person had just exited. Clad in a long, brown robe, big sunglasses and a wrap over his hair, he could easily look like any well-dressed lady from the south, but Naruto knew right away that Sabaku no Gaara, the son of Suna's president, had just leisurely strolled by him.

Why hadn't he noticed? He cursed himself once again as he ran out of the airport, just in time to see Gaara get into a sleek, black car that quickly took off.

So he'd come without a bodyguard? That was unexpected, Naruto thought to himself as he hauled a taxi from the street.

He got in at the front and cut off the driver when trying to ask where they were going.

"That black car, right up there, the one behind the bus, follow it."

Naruto buckled up hurriedly and got his camera ready. The driver did as told, but the suspicion clearly showed on the delicate face.

"Sir, I'm not very experienced with car-chases, and if this is something illegal I will have to ask you to-"

"There's nothing illegal, and I'm paying you, so for the love of God would you hurry the fuck up and step on it? We're losing them!"

"As you wish, sir."

Over the next couple of minutes Naruto was certain the driver definitely had been lying about not being used to car-chases. How they had managed to zig zag their way between all the cars on the road to now be right behind the car that held one Sabaku no Gaara, Naruto had no clue of. It didn't matter, they were up close. He tried to zoom in for a quick shot, but like most cars that held very important persons; this one also had darkly tinted windows. A bit too focused on trying to polish his paparazzi skills, he almost jumped when the driver spoke up.

"Seeing that we're right onto their tail, I think we should hang back a little so they won't get the notion of being followed."

Naruto sat back relaxing a little, taking a quick look over the driver.

"Alright, as long as we don't lose'em."

Was that a snort? Naruto couldn't be sure, but he had already figured out this wasn't your every-day taxi driver. The blue hair was certainly also quite the rebellious touch for such a plain and somewhat anonymous job as driving a taxi.

…

"We're here, sir."

The driver of the black car didn't take a look in the mirror, Gaara noticed. The driver had probably been instructed that he had no business meddling with whom he was driving and why. Uchiha Sasuke was indeed a strict man, Gaara thought and smiled despite himself.

"Thank you."

A bellboy at the Konoha Continental opened the door for him and he walked in the huge doors of the hotel, still wearing his shades.

…

Naruto's taxi stopped by the sidewalk some twenty meters away, not wanting the hotel employees to catch on there was paparazzi around.

"Hell, what do I do now? I can't go in there, damnit!"

Naruto flipped his phone open and was about to call Shikamaru for paparazzi expertise help; Naruto was usually the one writing, not taking the pictures.

The taxi driver sighed and laughed a little, pulling out a wallet from the glove department.

"What's so funny?", Naruto asked and not finding it funny that the driver, whom he paid, was laughing at his helplessness.

"Well, I promised myself I wouldn't do this again, and considering how much trouble I got in the last time I really don't want to risk anything, but-"

"Wait, uh, what are you-"

"I know a guy who works at the Continental, I bet he's in the kitchen cooking right now. He might be able to help you. He owes me a favor."

"Why would you help me with this? You could get into trouble you know.."

"Yeah, well I've actually been in trouble a countless of times. Kind of miss it too, sometimes." The driver sighed, and turned to look at Naruto.

"Now, take this."

The taxi driver handed Naruto a business card.

"Tell them you have an appointment with Pein, in the kitchen. When you see him, tell him I sent you and that you need a favor. He can't say no, and he knows that, so don't worry. Do what you have to do."

"P-pein? What kind of a name is that? And why do you want to help me, anyway?"

"Well, driving a taxi is the shittiest job in the entire world, so call it an act out of boredom, if you like."

"Huh.."

Naruto looked at the card in his hand and nodded.

"Thank you. Here, keep the change."

He handed his driver the money he owed and got out.

"And hey, if you ever need a driver again just call me alright. Let me know how it goes."

"Sure thing, thanks!"

He slammed the door shut and the taxi took off. He went up the stairs to the entrance and greeted the bellboy with a great smile. He shook his hand; the boy was looking somewhat confused.

"Hello, sir, how can I be of assistance?"

"My name is, uh.. Inuzuka Kiba. I have an appointment about possible, er.. employment as a chef. I'm here to see Pein."

"Oh, Pein? Certainly, sir. He's in the dining room, just go in at the door on the left and you should probably see him right away. He actually looks a bit like you, to be quite honest."

"Oh, of course, I know." Naruto lied, forced a laugh and thanked the bellboy, heading inside.

Spotting out this Pein wasn't the least bit difficult. To say the spiky, orange hair and the countless piercings stood out would be an understatement. And the man did in fact look a bit like himself, he had to admit.

"Excuse me, I need to speak with you."

The man called Pein looked up and it was clear on his facial expression he wasn't expecting anyone.

"Sir?"

"My name is Inuzuka Kiba, and I need a favor, can we talk somewhere in private?"

Pein immediately looked bored and turned away, continuing to lay forks and knives in delicate order on the table in front of them.

"I'm done doing "favors". If you're one of Madara's guys you can just, pardon me, fuck off."

Naruto had no idea what this guy had been affiliated with in the past, and he wasn't really interested in finding out, but if he didn't act soon he might lose the opportunity to make his big break on the Uchiha. He lowered his voice and looked the man right in the eyes.

"I seriously have no clue who that guy is, but a friend of yours told me I could talk to you, and I desperately need your help. Konan, she drives a taxi, told me you owe her a favor anyway."

"Konan?" Pein snapped around and almost yelled, a silent murmur starting between all of the other people in the dining lounge. Pein took at quick look around and nodded.

"Alright, come with me."

…

Uchiha Sasuke and Gaara sat at a table in the grand suite, enjoying a late lunch. Gaara's vibrant eyes were as intense as in the photos and on tv, and the blood-red tattoo that said 'Love' could be seen only slightly under the heavy bangs of red hair.

He put his napkin on the table, slouched back a bit in his chair and took a sip of champagne. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"So, Uchiha Sasuke… I wasn't aware you liked it in the arse, I must admit."

Sasuke choked on his champagne, not anticipating such a blunt comment. Gaara threw his head back and started laughing.

"Come on. I'm tired of playing the polite, always using the correct fork for supper, business-associate-game. I didn't leave my sun and 35 degrees Celsius to sit here and role-play like we usually do any other day of our lives."

Sasuke offered, if not a genuine smile, at least a very clever smirk.

"Very well, then. Want to lay down a bit and relax?", Sasuke asked and got up only to jump backwards onto the king-sized bed.

Gaara got up as well and loosened his tie slightly.

"Who would've thought Uchiha Sasuke was the playful type, huh?"

Gaara plopped himself down beside Sasuke, instantly turning his head to the boy with the onyx eyes.

"You know, if this got out, both your marriage and the merger all goes down the drain.. And I might have to kill myself or something, not to cause my father more shame than I already do."

Sasuke noticed the slightly serious tone in Gaara's voice. Sabaku no Gaara was the youngest of the Suna siblings, and always the one going all out at parties. Sasuke remembered he'd even had a cocaine scandal some years ago and he didn't need to be explained that the President of Suna wasn't all too pleased with his son. Sasuke didn't think the President knew his own son was gay, and after how Sasuke had prepared for tonight he would probably never find out. Sasuke hesitated a little before taking the other man's hand in his own.

"Hey, um, I know all that. With the chance of sounding like an absolute sap, I was really excited about today. I know nobody can know of this, both our futures' at stake, but.."

Gaara smiled, and Sasuke found it really pleasant to be able to see it. In the newspapers, or on television Gaara always held the same, uninterested expression.

"Yeah… There's the 'but'. The one that will cling in the back of our minds for the rest of our lives. We can't live openly about this, _but_", Gaara said squeezing Sasuke's hand. "But we have to live like ourselves in the dark so we don't go insane."

Sasuke closed his eyes and smiled, thankful that this man that he'd only met on a rare couple of formal occasions understood his innermost troubles so well.

"Yes.. You're absolutely right. And.. I just want you to know this isn't something I do often. Well, I used to, but I haven't…in a long time. Please let me… take care of you tonight?"

A gentle blush dusted Gaara's cheeks and he nodded.

"Certainly. But what will Hatake say, really?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it was by mere coincidence that we started talking about you and when I asked if he knew you'd be up for…meeting me, he said he was a hundred percent sure you would love to see me. I thought.. Aren't you guys kind of-"

Sasuke started laughing, a real, deep laugh right from the pit of his stomach.

"Oh, please! Kakashi and I are very good friends, and even though he's the fruitiest of them all I've never even kissed the guy. No, we.. He's a loyal friend, that's all. He arranged for us to meet, didn't he?"

"That's true."

Both men paused, only laying there breathing, taking in the view of the other.

"Wow, this is.. I feel so unlike my usual self. I'm not the romance type of guy."

"Me neither, really." Gaara answered almost monotonously, mint-green orbs fixed on Sasuke's own, dark ones.

Sasuke wasn't sure where this was heading. When he'd first arranged the meeting it was very simple. They would meet, have sex, and then go their separate ways. Feeding their needs, nothing more. He never planned to let some of his innermost feelings slip like they just had, but there was something about Gaara, something about how he understood him so well, without really knowing him. It was almost irritating to Sasuke, how the other man made him feel. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to feel the way it did. Was he..?

Sasuke had never been in love. He'd had his fair share of flings and adventures, and as much as most of them had been fun and exciting, he knew for certain that none of the guys he'd been with had made any bigger impression on him. He'd never felt his stomach jolt, made him nervous or long for someone. That was why right now, he felt like throwing up. Because as he laid there, the exotic boy from a foreign country staring at him like he was reading his very thoughts, his stomach did a twirl and he felt his own heartbeat quicken.

"Uchiha, are you ok? You look a bit pale.."

Sasuke snapped out of his train of thoughts and focused on Gaara, faking a laugh.

"I'm always pale. I'm blessed with powder-white skin, that's all."

In a slow notion Gaara licked his own lips and moved an inch closer.

Something like an alarm went off inside Sasuke's mind. This was not good. This was not what he had planned, and it was making him anything but relaxed. There was no way this, the two of them could work. Sasuke had the marriage coming up, and the merging and taking over as president of UTC and..

He froze. Sasuke's eyes closed without him really making them do so and he sighed. _Groaned_. Sabaku no Gaara was planting one right on his lips, and his mind had gone completely blank. It wasn't needy or aggressive, but light. The feeling of trying out.

The redhead pulled back and Sasuke returned to himself. He opened his eyes again and saw Gaara's, heavy-lidded and slightly pained. It felt like there was someone hitting him in the groin and he stared at Gaara like a helpless, abandoned child.

"I…I… Please."

Their hands flew to each other at the exact same time, and in an instant they were rolling around on the huge bed, kissing the other like their lives depended on it.

* * *

_- fin Copyright Part II - _

_Please review, love/hate: I'm ready for it. And if anyone's up for a job as a Beta for this story, please contact me :)_


End file.
